PSYCHOLOGY

Diagnosis Human: How Unlocking Hidden Relationship Patterns Can Transform and Heal Our Children, Our Partners, Ourselves

by Amy Begel & David V. Keith
Rowman & Littlefield. Nov. 2023. 224p. ISBN 9781538182727. $32. PSYCH
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Family therapists Keith (Continuing the Experiential Approach of Carl Whitaker) and Begel invite readers to reflect on how relationships can impact one’s psyche, with anecdotes from patients diagnosed with depression, trauma, relationship issues, ADHD, and more. The authors argue that mental distress can often be caused by “relationship imbalances” instead of chemical imbalances, and they show how they conduct family-therapy sessions. Readers should understand this as a theoretical work, backed more by anecdote than by scientific studies; the bibliography lists only eight sources, none from peer-reviewed journals. The book sometimes has an anti-pharmaceutical undercurrent, as illustrated by the in-session treatment of a boy with ADHD.
VERDICT Begel and Keith give insight into their own thoughts as therapists, but this book should not be used as an authoritative guide to handling complex psychological issues and is likely to be of limited interest for most readers.
Reviewed by Mason Bennett , Oct 01, 2023
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